Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension-Chapter 238 - 208 Cultivation Technique Hidden Danger_2

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Although there were as many as eight Second Order Green Flag Swordfish, Zhao Sheng didn’t need to be as cunning as before, effortlessly outsmarting them. Even if it came to a direct confrontation, they were still no match for him.

The reason for this was that from the start, there was a big BOSS within the school of Green Flag Swordfish that had yet to show itself, possibly lying in wait in the dark, eyeing him greedily.

Zhao Sheng found it hard to believe that a large swordfish school of nearly a thousand was led by just eight Second-tier Fish Bellies. There could very well be a more powerful Swordfish King among them.

And that was one of the reasons why Zhao Sheng dared not carelessly engage in battle.

It could have been that he was overthinking, or perhaps the big BOSS lurking behind the scenes was intimidated by Zhao Sheng’s fierce tactics, uncertain of his actual strength and depth.

Right after the eight Second Order swordfish were killed, the group of Green Flag Swordfish above them, like a frightened flock of sheep, suddenly woke from their bloodthirsty frenzy and scattered in all directions, fleeing wildly into further and deeper waters.

Zhao Sheng had no desire to chase after a group of small fish. After collecting the corpses of the eight Second Order demon fish, he flashed upward and emerged from the sea surface.

On the other side, as soon as the school of Green Flag Swordfish fled, the turmoil aboard the Dome Turtle Treasure Ship ceased, and the members of the Zhao Family, seeing the swordfish suddenly disappear, were ecstatic and relieved, feeling the serendipity of having narrowly escaped death.

Puh!

Zhao Sheng suddenly breached the sea surface and flew onto the deck, landing firmly.

"Mr. Zhao!"

"Senior Cen Hezi!"

"Master, you’re finally back. We suffered a big loss this time!"

Upon Zhao Sheng’s appearance, Zhao Dingda, Zhao Gaojie, and the other clan members of the Zhao Family immediately found their pillar of support and flocked to him, greeting him with mixed emotions of sorrow and joy.

...

Later, under Zhao Sheng’s consolation, everyone gradually calmed down.

The attack of the swordfish school, though brief, resulted in heavy casualties.

Not only were all members of the Zhao Family injured, but six had died, including a Qi Refining Seventh Layer senior member of the Hong generation. In addition, the treasure ship had suffered extensive damage, with even two masts broken.

Because of this, the treasure ship had to be repaired in situ for three days. After the ship’s body and masts were mended, it proceeded towards Biluo Island.

During the subsequent voyage, Zhao Sheng and others encountered several more attacks from sea beasts, but none were as formidable as the Green Flag Swordfish. Zhao Sheng alone easily dealt with them without the younger generation having to lift a finger.

Seven days later, the Dome Turtle Treasure Ship slowly sailed into a bustling and lively bay. Across, not far from the pier, a variety of ships of different sizes were docked, and nearby, thousands of sails were contending, with countless boats crisscrossing busily.

At a glance, one could see ships of similar size, or even larger, slowly moving in and out.

Clearly, the news of Dragon Head Island’s fall had spread across the Shattered Star Sea, instantly turning Biluo Island into the new hub of the Outer Star Sea. Under the influence of various complex factors, the place had momentarily fallen into an abnormal boom.

After waiting half a day for an open berth, the Dome Turtle Treasure Ship finally docked at the pier.

As soon as they berthed, the members of the Zhao Family couldn’t wait to disembark the ship.

The task of purchasing food and various other reserve supplies for the Zhao Family on Biluo Island was not Zhao Sheng’s concern, as there were designated personnel responsible for it.

Before all items were purchased, the treasure ship would be docked at the pier for a few days.

This left Zhao Sheng with a few days of free time to take care of his own business.

...

Half a day later, at East Jade Square, inside Treasure Tower.

In the elegant room, a cultured man dressed in a plain white robe, with a scholarly appearance, sat opposite Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Sheng spoke directly, "Shopkeeper Gao, I am here to buy a shell pearl, at least a thousand years old, the higher the grade, the better. Does your establishment have such a treasure?"

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The scholarly middle-aged man replied with a smile, "A thousand-year shell pearl, our establishment naturally has it. But a spiritual pearl nurtured by a thousand-year spiritual shell is equivalent to a third-rank demon pill, and it comes with a hefty price. Moreover, such treasures typically cannot be bought with spirit stones unless the Daoist has top-grade spiritual stones."

"Top-grade spiritual stones are rare; I certainly do not possess them. But what do you think about this?"

As he spoke, Zhao Sheng produced a pill bottle containing Foundation Establishment Pills, undid the Elixir Seal, and handed it over for inspection.

The scholarly middle-aged man’s eyes widened in disbelief, "Foundation Establishment Pills? Daoist, that is a generous offer indeed!"

"Would this suffice?"

"Yes, of course, it would be more than sufficient!" replied the middle-aged man, nodding like a pecking chicken.

"Then... it depends on what grade of shell pearl you can provide, Shopkeeper Gao," said Zhao Sheng confidently.

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"Daoist, please wait a moment. Gao will return shortly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the refined middle-aged man hastily left the elegant room.

It wasn’t long before he joyfully returned.

"Daoist has come at the right time. Our establishment has just received a shell pearl that’s been nurtured for three thousand years, its quality second only to a fourth-rank Demon Pill..."

...

An hour later, Zhao Sheng, expressionless, walked out of Treasure Tower, quickly disappearing into the bustling crowd.

...

A quarter of an hour later, Zhao Sheng, having changed his appearance, appeared in an Elixir Medicine Shop called Qidan Pavilion.

Qidan Pavilion was the largest Elixir Medicine Shop on Biluo Island, backed by the famous alchemy sect of the Shattered Star Sea, the Strange Pill Sect.

Upon entering the shop, Zhao Sheng made no attempt to conceal his powerful aura.

The shopkeeper, sensing the strong fluctuations of Spiritual Power coming from the main hall, did not dare to neglect such a presence, hurriedly moving to the front and respectfully welcoming Zhao Sheng to the back hall.

In the Cultivation World, Foundation Establishment Cultivators are the backbone. In the Shattered Star Sea, a single Foundation Establishment Cultivator could rule over a spirit island, and by the late stage of Foundation Establishment, one could certainly be considered above millions, just below a Golden Core Master.

Take Nine Virtuous Isle, for example.

As one of the Thirty-Six Star Constellation Spirit Islands, Nine Virtuous Isle’s influence covers thousands of miles of sea territory, nearly ten thousand cultivators, more than a hundred of whom have reached Foundation Establishment. Yet, after several hundred years of accumulation, officially there are only three Golden Core Masters, including suspicious figures like Xu Chong, they do not have more than seven people capable of Golden Core-level combat.

In any domain within the Cultivation World, Golden Core Masters are regarded as high-level combatants because they are extremely rare and often in closed-door cultivation, rarely showing themselves in public.

Therefore, late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators often represent the highest level of combat prowess most people ever witness, and their status is understandably elevated.

In the guest room of the back hall, after the waiter served Spiritual Tea, the shopkeeper of Qidan Pavilion cautiously probed Zhao Sheng’s intentions.

Since Zhao Sheng had openly revealed his cultivation level, he naturally had his reasons.

He did not hide his purpose and got straight to the point, "I have come to your esteemed pavilion today, specifically to acquire a Golden Core Formation Pill!"

The shopkeeper of Qidan Pavilion was an old, short, and plump man with the appearance of a young child with gray hair. He was clad in a Crimson Robe, emitting a faint Elixir Fragrance.

Upon hearing this, the short, plump old man was taken aback. His expression instantly turned very strange, and after hesitating, he cautiously replied, "Predecessor, please... please don’t make it difficult for this old man. A Golden Core Formation Pill is such a heavy treasure, it is beyond the reach of someone like me. Not only does Qidan Pavilion not have it, but I fear no Elixir Shop throughout the entire Biluo Island would dare to possess such a treasure."

Zhao Sheng let out a slight smile and calmly said, "If you do not have it here, does the Strange Pill Sect not have it either? If you wish to accomplish something, quickly inform the Strange Pill Sect and have them send someone to trade. I can still stay on Biluo Island for some time."

The short and plump elder became thrilled upon hearing this, his scalp tingling with excitement as he realized the opportunity he had long awaited had finally arrived.

"Please wait, Predecessor. I will immediately send a message to the sect."

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No sooner had he finished speaking than he sprang up, dashing out of the room in one swift move, showing no signs of age.

In the room, Zhao Sheng picked up the tea cup, slowly savoring the Spiritual Tea while quietly contemplating.

Recently, during his cultivation, he had several times sensed the barrier at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment beginning to loosen, vaguely grasping the opportunity to advance to the ninth layer.

Once he succeeded in reaching the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer, he would not be far from Core Formation.

For this purpose, Zhao Sheng had to prepare in advance.

Just now at Treasure Tower, he had traded two low-grade Foundation Establishment Pills for a three-thousand-year-old Spiritual Pearl as a preliminary step.

His current practice of the Mystic Primordial Heavy Water Technique was from his previous life, obtained from the Origin Return Sect (now the Blood Demon Sect).

He had originally thought it was a complete set, but only upon reaching the latter part of the practice did he discover a trap set by the Origin Return Sect.

The Mystic Primordial Heavy Water Technique turned out to be missing a crucial part—the Divine Powers and Treasure Techniques.

As mentioned before, there are two types of Golden Core Masters: those with True Pills and those with Fake Pills.

A true Golden Core Master has a life span of eight hundred years and can form a Golden Core without external assistance. Once the Golden Core is formed, the Golden Core Phenomenon arises, which originates from Divine Skills.

A Golden Core Master is sure to refine a Divine Power or Treasure Technique. This Divine Skill is somewhat similar to the innate spells of demon beasts, not only triggered by a mere thought and consuming very little energy but also immensely powerful, far more effective than regular magical treasures.

Unfortunately, the Mystic Primordial Heavy Water Technique omitted how to construct the seed of one’s Innate Divine Ability, virtually cutting off Zhao Sheng’s rightful path to refining a Golden Core, forcing him to resort to the crooked path of using external objects for Core Formation.

The last few pages of the Mystic Primordial Heavy Water Technique are about treasure refining. They record in detail the method to refine a Magical Treasure called the Sea Suppressing Pearl.